by Harley Wylde
“We can keep digging,” I said. “Find out the truth. If they plotted with Deuce for all this to happen to you… Do you want to know?”
“I need to,” Phoebe said. “All this time, I worried they would be scared, not knowing what happened to me. I don’t understand, Kraken. Why? Why would they do this to me?”
“Don’t know, baby, but Wizard will keep looking.”
Whatever it took, I’d get the truth for her. She needed closure. I couldn’t imagine her family selling her out. I might not know Phoebe, not really, but she was so damn sweet. How could someone throw her away? Give her to the demons who ran this club? We were leaving in the morning. I didn’t give a shit what Deuce said. If they tried to stop us, I’d kill every fucking one of them.
Chapter Three
Phoebe
My family had a part in everything I’d suffered. Even if it happened after the fact, they’d accepted money when Deuce took me, raped me. They knew where I was, they knew who had me, and they had left me here. There was no other explanation for the money they deposited. My father hadn’t even had the money to put a new roof on the church. It seemed his church was more important than my life. I stood next to Ember’s crib, rubbing her back. My sweet little angel. I couldn’t imagine ever selling her, or letting monsters keep her. What kind of people did that? Had they ever loved me?
I felt the heat of Kraken’s body behind me a moment before he placed his hands on my waist. I leaned back, taking the comfort he so willingly gave. The sun filtered through my only window. Morning had come, which meant we would be leaving. Or rather, Kraken was leaving and planned to take us with him, but I didn’t for a second think Deuce would let us go. He didn’t seem to care about Ember, except for the leverage she gave him. He used her to control me.
“You ready, baby girl?” he asked. “Got everything packed?”
“Only Ember’s stuff. I packed two changes of clothes but I don’t want anything else. It’s only a reminder of what I’ve endured at the hands of these bastards.”
“Fair enough. I’ll buy my girls all new stuff when we get home. I rode my bike here. The two of you going to be okay riding with Poison? He drove the truck parked outside, and I had him get a baby seat for Ember this morning. Brick is going to ride his Harley back. One of us will take the rear and the other will ride point.”
“Kraken, what if…” He placed a hand over my mouth.
“No, baby. Don’t even start. We’re walking out of here. All of us. And we’re doing it right the fuck now. Got me?”
I nodded. He let go and I reached into the crib, lifting Ember against me. I cradled her to my chest and followed Kraken to the door. He hefted the duffle filled with what little we were taking, and I saw one of his brothers in the hall. Brick was stitched on his cut. A tremor ran through me and I took a breath to steady myself. I slipped into the hallway behind Kraken and followed him to the main part of the clubhouse. I felt Brick’s presence behind me. I didn’t know where their third brother was, but I hoped he was safe.
The place looked deserted, which freaked me the hell out. I’d never seen it this cleared out before. There were a pair of motorcycle boots sticking out from under a table, and I realized one of the Sadistic Saints had passed out on the floor. My heart slammed against my ribs as we walked through the main area, and I hoped like hell the guy didn’t wake up.
We made it outside and still my fear didn’t ease. Something was wrong. It was too quiet. Deuce always had someone watching the place, keeping an eye on me. Why didn’t he now? He’d known I was with Kraken last night. Did he trust the Hades Abyss? If he did, was I making a mistake by going with them?
I saw their third club member in the truck waiting outside the doors. Kraken opened the rear door and stashed our duffle on the floorboard. He held out his hands. I passed him Ember and he eased her into the baby seat in back, fastening her in. Once he’d secured her in the seat, he shut the door and opened the front passenger side.
His arm curled around my waist and his lips pressed to mine. “Everything’s going to be fine, baby girl. Poison will keep you safe. Brick is going with you, and I’m going to hang back a minute. Make sure you get away.”
“What? No! Kraken, if they know you took us, they’ll be furious. You can’t say behind.”
“Phoebe, I’ll be fine. Now get in the truck, baby. Need to get you and Ember somewhere safe.”
I hugged him tight, then followed his orders. Even if it scared the hell out of me, worrying I might be trusting the wrong people, I didn’t like the thought of him remaining behind. After the night we’d shared, I already felt attached to him. More than I should have been.
“Be safe, Kraken. Come home to us,” I said.
He kissed me one last time and shut the door, then patted the hood of the vehicle. Poison put it in reverse and backed out. He headed for the long drive leading to the road. The Sadistic Saints didn’t have a fence or gate around their property. They didn’t need one. Only an idiot would dare try to break into this place, or run from it. Until now, I’d been smart enough to stay put.
I turned in the seat and watched as Kraken got smaller and smaller. Brick zipped past us once he hit the main road and took the lead. I heard the engine rev on both the bike and truck, and soon we were rocketing down the highway. I kept an eye on the side-view mirror, but I didn’t see a motorcycle closing in. I didn’t see one at all.
“He’ll be fine,” Poison said. “Kraken isn’t our Sergeant-at-Arms because he looks pretty. He earned it. No one stands a chance against him. And if those bastards think they’ll keep his woman and kid from him, I have no doubt he’ll kill them all.”
I glanced his way. “You know Ember isn’t really his, right?”
Poison shrugged. “Kraken claimed you, claimed her too. Makes her his daughter. Don’t matter if he helped make her or not.”
If only life were as simple as these guys made it seem. I knew better. And now, knowing my family had most likely benefited from all I’d been through didn’t make me believe in rainbows and happiness. My own parents had essentially sold me. If they didn’t want me, didn’t care what happened to me, why would Kraken and the Hades Abyss? It wasn’t like the guy loved me. We barely knew one another, even if he had given me the best night of my life.
We passed the sign for the town limits, but Poison and Brick didn’t slow down. If anything, the truck seemed to pick up speed. After we drove through a third town and Kraken hadn’t caught up to us, I started to worry even more. What if Deuce hurt him? I didn’t know why the Sadistic Saints wanted me, or why they’d have paid my family so much. I didn’t see Deuce being okay with me walking out on him. He’d made sure I knew I was less than nothing in his eyes. A place to put his dick, his little whore, but if he’d given away a lot of money to keep me, he’d want me to earn it back somehow. It’s just how Deuce worked.
“I need to stop,” I said, my hands clenching in my lap.
“No can do. Kraken would have my ass if I stopped for anything other than an emergency.”
“If I pee on your truck seat, is it considered an emergency? Because I need to go and I don’t see a bathroom in here.”
He cursed and flashed his lights at Brick. At the next off-ramp, they exited the highway and pulled over to a gas station. I glanced at Ember in the backseat, happily cooing to herself. She’d need a bottle soon, and probably could use a fresh diaper. I used the restroom, mixed some formula, and took Ember from the baby seat.
“I need something to lay her on so I can change her,” I said. “I don’t have one of those diaper mats or anything similar.”
Brick cursed under his breath and pushed off from the truck where he’d been lounging. “Wait here. I’ll see if this place has anything you can use.”
He disappeared into the store and I pulled out the package of wipes and a clean diaper from the duffle. I didn’t know how far it was to our destination, but I’d need more diapers before too long. Brick returned with a T-shirt.
&n
bsp; “Best I can do. Once we’re closer to home, we can stop for whatever baby shit you might need. Get your girl taken care of so we can hit the road. If the Sadistic Saints send anyone after you, and we’re sitting here with our thumbs up our asses, Kraken will fucking end us.”
I changed Ember and gave her the bottle. She really needed some cereal or baby food, but I wasn’t about to ask for those things right now. This would do for the moment. Once I had her back in her seat, and buckled, Poison and Brick insisted we get back on the road and put more miles between us and the Sadistic Saints.
The fact Kraken never caught up to us worried me. If Poison and Brick were concerned, they hid it well. Despite their words of buying essentials for Ember along the way, we pulled through the gates of what I assumed was their compound and stopped in front of a large building. A man came down the steps, an air of power and authority clinging to him. As he drew closer, I saw his cut. Titan -- President.
“Take them to Kraken’s house,” Titan said. “I’ll meet you there.”
I hesitated only a moment before climbing back into the truck. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but the cute two-story clapboard house wasn’t it. White with black shutters and a red door, it looked like the perfect family home. Completely out of place at a biker compound.
I carried Ember inside and looked around. She squirmed in my arms and I put her on the floor. She took off crawling. The place was rather spotless for a bachelor’s home. I hoped Kraken didn’t plan for it to stay this clean with a baby in the house. Titan stood in the doorway, hands shoved into his pockets.
“Might want to check the fridge and cabinets. Make a grocery list, and one for other items you need. Kraken said you’d need clothes, but I’d rather wait and let him take you shopping when he gets here.”
My heart nearly stopped. “When he gets here? So he’s okay?”
Titan smirked. “Honey, it’s going to take more than some Sadistic Saints to take him down. He’ll be here sooner or later. Until then, I need to make sure you and the baby don’t starve. So whatever you need, write it down.”
I dug through the kitchen drawers and found a pad and pen. I took stock of the kitchen supplies and wrote down anything we might need, including baby food and cereal for Ember, more formula, and diapers. I checked the bathrooms for other stuff, then added those to the list. By the time I’d finished, I had over twenty items and hoped Titan wouldn’t balk. I didn’t know who was paying for it, but I knew it wasn’t me since I didn’t have so much as a penny.
“I’ll have a Prospect outside if you need something. His name is Sean,” Titan said.
“We’ll be fine. I, um, don’t have a phone.”
“Kraken will take care of it. You’re safe here, Phoebe. Just don’t leave the compound. Hell, don’t leave the damn house unless you have someone with you. Got it?”
I nodded. He seemed nicer than Deuce, but if he was the President of the club, the man was a badass in his own right. I only hoped he wasn’t evil like Deuce. I’d feel better once Kraken was with me. He might be a stranger still, but I felt safer with him than these other men.
After Titan left, I cuddled Ember and hoped we’d made the right choice. We were miles and miles from the only town we’d ever called home. Among strangers, locked behind a gate, with no way to call out for help. Wouldn’t matter. There was no one in our lives to call. No one to come running if we got into trouble. It was just me and Ember, like it had been since the day she’d been born. And before I had her, I’d been alone.
“I hope your momma didn’t just land us in more trouble,” I muttered to her. “Let’s hope these men are as nice as they seem.”
Chapter Four
Kraken
Sending Phoebe and Ember with my brothers had been the right call. I’d known it the moment I handed her into the truck. I could have gotten on my bike and followed, but running wasn’t my style. Instead, I’d grabbed a beer and sat at the bar, waiting for the Sadistic Saints to wake the hell up. So far, only their President had stumbled into the room.
Deuce ground his teeth and his eyes flashed with fury. “You’re telling me the little bitch is gone?”
“Yep. Long gone.” I smirked. “You miscalculated. I always take what I want, Deuce. And little Phoebe? Once I had a taste, there was no fucking way I was letting her go. So yeah, she’s gone. Safely tucked away. Her and Ember.”
“I paid for her. Broke her. The whore will do whatever she’s told.”
I tapped the bar. “About that payment. Did her family know you had her before or after you dropped the cash on their doorstep?”
“We gave the preacher a choice,” Deuce said.
“What kind of choice?” I asked.
Deuce smiled. “He either gave up his daughter, or we would burn his church to the ground. Imagine my surprise when he gladly gave her up. Not without a little bit of a fight. He did ask for some money. Once we agreed on an amount, he let us know when and where to find her. She thought she’d been sneaky, slipping out of the house. They’d been watching and waiting. The moment she left I got a call.”
When I finished with these fuckers, I should pay the good preacher a visit. I wondered if his church members knew what he’d done. Doubtful, since he’d spread the word she went to stay with family. I would expose him, take my pound of flesh, and then I’d send the asshole straight to hell.
“You’ll have your men bring her back,” Deuce said. “Now.”
I rolled my neck, cracking it. “You seem to think I answer to you, Deuce.”
He slammed his fist onto the bar top. “You’re in my territory! My house. My rules.”
“Let me tell you exactly how I feel about your rules.” I turned to face him fully. “You’re a pathetic excuse for a leader, Deuce, and your club is even worse. You’re nothing but a bunch of murderers and rapists. Scum. It’s clubs like this one that give all of us a bad name. If I were to wipe the lot of you from the face of the earth, they’d probably throw me a fucking parade. You have no authority over me, Deuce, because I’m not weak and pathetic like the rest of these men.”
“You fucking…” Deuce stood so fast his stool toppled. He pulled a gun from the small of his back and pointed the barrel at my chest. “You can’t talk to me like that. I’m the President!”
I knocked the gun from his hand and slammed my fist into his jaw. Fury ignited in me as I thought of all he’d done to Phoebe. I plowed my fists into his ribs, his face. I heard bones crunch and watched blood fly. He’d made the mistake of talking to me without an audience. Deuce fell to the floor and I leaned over him. I fisted his shirt and yanked him closer.
“Now, you’re going to shut up and listen. The only reason you’re the President is because your club is just as pathetic as you. There’s no fucking way real men would ever follow you. Rapists. Pedophiles. Murderers. Those are the people who willingly let you lead. And since I can’t trust you to leave Phoebe alone, I’ll have to make an example of you.”
I hauled him on top of the bar and yanked the knife from my hip. I jabbed the blade between his ribs twice, then sliced it across his throat. As he gurgled and drowned on his own blood, I tore open his shirt and left a message for his club. My blade ripped through his skin as I sketched the words into his flesh.
She’s mine!
I cleaned up and went out to my bike. Watching the clubhouse, I waited a moment. No one came for me. No shouts. Nothing. I shook my head. These sorry fuckers were so damn drunk and stoned, I could probably burn the place down with them inside. They hadn’t even left a Prospect to stand watch. As tempting as it was to roast them in their beds, it wasn’t my style. I’d give them a chance. One. If they failed and came for me or Phoebe, I’d take them out.
I pulled away from their clubhouse and hit the road toward home. Other than a stop for gas and to take a piss, I didn’t take breaks. I wanted to get home to my girls, make sure they were all right, and get them settled into their new home. The look in Phoebe’s eyes would haunt me for a whi
le. She’d been scared and uncertain. I’d hated leaving her with Poison and Brick, but I’d needed to do this.
It was late when I pulled up to the gates. Morgan, a new Prospect, let me through. I bypassed the clubhouse and went straight to the house. By now, Phoebe was probably going out of her mind. I should have called. Talked to her. Reassured her everything would be okay.
Sean stood outside my house and gave me a nod as I parked my bike. I walked past him and inside. The door hadn’t even shut before Phoebe rushed toward me. Her hair looked like she’d been running her fingers through it. Still, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“You’re here,” she said.
“Told you I’d catch up.”
She folded her arms and tipped her chin up. “Catch up? Kraken, we’ve been here for half a day. Where were you? What happened?”
I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. “Baby girl, there are some questions I’ll never answer. Just know Deuce won’t be coming for you, and if his club has even half a brain cell among the lot of them, they won’t either. Damn near went to see your parents, but when I finished with Deuce, I just wanted to see you. Make sure you were all right.”
“My parents? Why would you go see them?”
I pressed her cheek to my chest and held her. I didn’t want any secrets between us, not as long as they weren’t club business, but I also didn’t want her scared of me. She’d lived with monsters long enough already. There might be darkness inside me, but I only let it out when someone needed to be punished. I never went after innocents.
“We’ll talk later, baby. Right now, I want a shower and some food. I promise I’ll tell you what I can. There are some things I’ll never be able to share.”
“But you won’t lie to me, right?” she asked.
I cupped her cheek and pressed my lips to hers. “No, baby. I won’t lie to you.”
“All right. I’ll go start the shower for you, then find something for you to eat while you get cleaned up.”